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Monday, September 28, 2015

Catchy title, right?What in the world is “glossy buckthorn” and
what does that have to do with life in general?Stay with me here!

I do love how many wonderful lessons
we can learn by just being aware of God’s revelations through His wondrous
creation.If you have been reading my
posts, you know I am not crazy about bats and skunks….and yet they both have
their place in the grand scheme of things.

I first became aware of the creepy
(and creeping) nature of Glossy buckthorn as Charlie and I were discussing the
impact this plant is having on the many acres of his camp property.He and the other 2 men who co-own the
property, asked a friend who retired from the U.S. Forest Service to do a study
of their land, with an eye to managing it well.

Among other things, they learned that
“glossy buckthorn”:

1.has very invasive tendencies;

2.shades out native plants;

3.threatens Michigan’s wetland
communities;

4.hosts dangerous plant viruses and
fungi;

5.is an attractive plant with shiny
leaves and small flowers, appealing to birds and small mammals, and…..

6.has seeds that are viable for several
years.

I know, that’s wayyyy more than most
of us need to know about the Glossy buckthorn plant!So why would it be a subject worth writing
about?Back to my statement that we can
learn much from the world our God created.

In the book of Matthew we get a
glimpse of how Jesus used the natural world to teach lessons.Chapter 13 discusses the 4 types of soil in a
parable intended to teach us about how we receive the Truth. In that same
chapter Jesus tells a story about the weeds…and then the mustard seed.

In Luke 12 Jesus has much to say about worry and proceeds to paint a
word picture that includes the ravens, the lilies, the grass of the field and other
birds. Hmmm; looks like the same God that illustrates His lessons with these
examples, also made the “glossy buckthorn”.Just sayin….

Maybe…just maybe there is a lesson
buried inside this weird plant.I like
to believe that God can reach my heart in any way He chooses.

SIN can be so like the Glossy
buckthorn plant:

1.Sin can start out as a small thing,
like that plant in its early stages.

2.Sin looks attractive and innocent,
much like those glossy leaves and delicate flowers.

3.When allowed to grow and spread, sin
begins to invade other parts of our lives, casting shadows over multiple areas
of our lives.

4.Sin opens us up to worldly “viruses
and fungi” and every time we compromise our faith, we are in danger of bringing
more sin into our lives.

5.Like the seeds of this plant that are
viable for many years, all too often we suffer the consequences of our sin for
years to come, even after we have done all we can to eradicate it.

My husband and his camp partners are
now attempting to dig this stuff out and kill it with whatever will work
without damaging other plant life.This
stuff is everywhere!

This pesky plant may continue to
bring aggravation and maybe it can never be eradicated.But we, as believers in Jesus Christ, look
forward to the day when we will be perfected and no longer have to struggle
with sin.Jesus took care of that sin
through His life, death and resurrection.HALLELUJAH!!!!And even now, in
this challenging life, with all of its temptations, we can choose
well.The Holy Spirit, Who indwells us
and is available to ALL who invite Christ to be Lord and Savior, empowers us to
live a life pleasing to God.

I am resting on the promise Jesus
makes in the last book of the Bible: “Behold, I am coming soon!” (twice in
chapter 22) and Jesus confirms it again in 22:20, “Yes I am coming soon.”

And speaking of God’s amazing
creation, as I write this, my hubby and I are watching the moon go through an
eclipse, intrigued by the reddish color. (the “blood moon”)I half expect to hear the blast of that triumphant
trumpet described in I Thessalonians 4:16 when Jesus comes down from heaven to
gather us to Himself.Could it be
tonight? Tomorrow?

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Last summer my hubby went on his
annual canoe trip into the wilds of Canada.Besides the wonderful scenery and physical challenges, an additional
benefit has been the forging of these male friendships for the past 11 summers.

Every year Charlie has come home with
yet another invite (from his canoe buddies) for us, as a couple, to head to
Canada for a visit.We discussed it but
it ever seemed to end up a priority….until this year.

This has been a watershed year…. a
year when we, and many of our friends, have turned the
“I-am-undeniably-considered-old” year.Birthday celebrations have been especially significant and it was one of
those events that signaled it was time for us to head to Toronto.We got an invite to (friend) Dave’s 70th
birthday party; that came hand-in-hand with an invitation from another member
of the canoe crew and his wife.Now we
had a party to attend and another couple to house and entertain us.Done deal!

When we made this decision in August,
I realized my passport had expired and looking at the calendar, figured I’d better
get that application turned in ASAP.I
headed over to the appropriate governmental office (only a block from my
house…don’t you love small town living?!) and picked up the application form.The questions were endless, many inquiring
about my legal status (had I committed any crimes or ever been arrested?) and
my citizenship.

I filled it out, updated my photo and
sent it off.I hoped it would arrive in
time; all of our travel plans hinged on receiving approval from the
“powers-that-be”. Thankfully, my passport did
arrive, with time to spare, and my husband affirmed to our Canadian friends
that we would, indeed, be joining them.

On the actual day of travel we got an
early start, hoping we would get through the border easily. On the way out the door….and again as we were
pulling down the driveway, I checked on that passport, making certain it was
not sitting in the house somewhere.Yes,
indeed it was in my possession!

Several hours later we arrived at the
US/Canadian border where we were asked a few questions and sent on our
way.Yay!The return trip, same experience.More yay!I breathed a sigh of relief that the process was so easy.

What if….what if we had headed for
Canada and arrived at the border, only to discover we had no passports?I think it’s pretty obvious we would not have
been allowed to cross over only to have our travel plans thwarted.

The day is coming for all of us when
we will be reaching a time of “crossing over”…leaving our home on earth.It will probably not be a time of our
choosing and could come on us rather
suddenly.Like this border crossing
between the 2 countries, where passports were required to complete our journey,
we also will need a “passport” if we want to “cross the border into heaven” one
day.

But here is the really, really great news!Unlike all the paperwork I needed to complete
to renew my passport, there is NOTHING like that needed for my entrance into
heaven.You see, Jesus did all the work for me…and for you!He bridged the
gap for us; you know, the gap created
by our sin that separates us from God. He did the hard work required for our entrance into heaven at the end of
this earthly journey.

So why do we make this so complicated
when all we have to do is accept the blood sacrifice Jesus made on the
cross?I John 5:11 tells us God has
given us eternal life in His Son.Jesus
says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through
me.”Peter tells us in Acts 4: 12,
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

There are not multiple ways where we
hope we choose the right one; there are no hoops to jump through; there is no
specifically worded script or lengthy form to fill out; there is no secret
ceremony.Just believe in Jesus, confess
your sin, ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and then watch and see what He
does!That’s the only “passport” any of
us needs to confidently reach the end of this life’s road and joyfully cross
the “border”.

“[That] if you confess with your
mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”Romans 10: 9 & 10

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sometimes God shows His amazing
handiwork when I least expect it. I have
lived in the U.P. for over 11 years (not
counting my growing up years) where I am surrounded by trees, water and
wildlife.I don’t think I take it for granted….and yet, a summer bike ride caught me
off guard.

My husband and I love our bike rides for the exercise and for the time we can spend together enjoying the sweetness of every day "marriage moments". We decided to take a quick spin around our beach/park/marina area. For those of you unfamiliar with our town, we have the wonderful privilege of living in a community that sits on a bay coming in from Lake Michigan.

The sun was shining, the water was
sparkling and the breeze was just enough to keep the temperature nearly perfect.
When August arrives in this part of the world, we can feel autumn whispering in
our ears.There is a subtle shift; the
mornings have a slight chill (with evenings dipping into the 50’s) but the days
are warm and comfortable.

We rode our bikes past the boats in
the marina, observing a few folks out and about, including two women preparing
to do some fishing from their kayaks.It
was a quiet morning but soon the paddle boards and kayaks would be available
for rental and the already beautiful harbor would become even more colorful.

And then there is the wildlife.That same morning Charlie got a call from one
of our boys whose home is located on a beachfront lot; a skunk was caught in
the trap Charlie had set and it had sprayed the area.Len headed to work and Charlie went out to his house to deal with the
situation.My husband came back with a
definite skunk odor clinging to his clothes.God surely was creative when He gave skunks such a unique way of
protecting themselves!

God’s handiwork is nothing less than
amazing and I have been so very blessed to live amidst it all!In my limited human thinking I can’t imagine
how God could possibly top this creative act!However, the Bible reminds us that one day there will be a brand new earth.Revelation, chapter 21, describes the
glorious plans God has for His children.If this present earth is so incredible (except for skunks and bats!), I
have to wonder…. How could He possibly “do one better”? Maybe
it’s because God Himself will be
dwelling with us (!) and there will be nothing to hold us back from full out
joyful living.No sin…no pain…no
crime…no sickness. Wow!

I love the encouragement in 1
Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no
ear has heard, no mind hasconceived
what God has prepared for those who love him…”Psalm 96: 11 says, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be
glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.”God’s creativity is without limits; He has
gifted us every day through His creation…..and the living out of the final
chapter of His book is still ahead of us!Hallelujah!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

What an amazing experience it is to
be a grandmother (or “Nana”…rhymes with nah-nah) to three fabulous boys!We are so very blessed to have our 4 year old
(Jacob) nearby but the other two (Henry, age 5 ½ and Gus, age 16 months) live
on the other side of the country.This
month, however, I was able to personally love on these guys because of their
time with us in our home.During their visit we crammed in beach time,
family adventures, bike rides and a visit to the fair.After a few days, this dear family headed
back to Portland… minus one; Henry stayed on for a 6 day “Nana and Cha Cha
camp”.

What a special
time.LOVED having Henry plop into bed
with us early in the morning and snuggle up. (He had his own bedroom and went
to bed with stories and prayers and snuggles but when early morning came, into
our bed he popped.)Our universe
centered around that young man and we took time to play!

Cha Cha, Henry and
Uncle Drew had some camp time (at Charlie’s deer camp in the woods) where they
did “guy” stuff.Charlie and I and Henry
had more camp time where he got to shoot a rifle, use a bow and arrow, “drive”
the side-by-side, make the tractor shovel go up and down and even use the
“outdoor bathroom facilities”, if you get my drift.

He and Cha Cha went
fishing and Henry got the biggest kick out of storing the worms in our
refrigerator. He and I had an afternoon at the zoo.On my birthday we took him with us to a
restaurant for dinner and he had perfect manners.(Thanks to the vigilant teaching of his
parents!)His uncle Beak took him
golfing.We went to our garden at the
farm (where friends of ours live) and he helped pick tomatoes, enjoyed the animals and rode the pony.

From the farm we went
to a nearby Lake Michigan cottage to visit friends; Henry loved being in the
water with his new little buddies.We
took all 5 kids to the lighthouse on Stonington Peninsula and climbed up to the
top. (Breathtaking view of Lake Michigan!)On the way home we stopped and had ice cream as the sun was making its
final descent.

As if this were not
enough, I had the enormous pleasure of flying back to Portland with Henry; because he has traveled so much in
his young life, he knows the ropes and was a wonderful travel companion!In fact, twice he asked to go into the
cockpit and both times his request was granted!

Once back in Portland
I got to enjoy the “slobbers and sticky hands” part of this adventure when I
had the opportunity to spend time with little Gus again.Nothing like slobbery kisses and food
everywhere!What a doll baby.

Well, have I totally
bored you with my grandchildren stories?Through all of this I am reminded of God’s great blessing of what it
means to play an integral role in the life of family.What a joy for me to hear, “Nana, I love
you.”What a pleasure to have little Gus
put his head on my shoulder demonstrating his love and trust.How special it is to have my beautiful
daughter-in-law email me when I’m back home to tell me she missed me.What a joy to have my son, now doing a great
job at being a husband and dad, tell me he loved me as he dropped me off at the
airport. (He thanked me for our time “entertaining” Henry but really, it was
the other way around!)

I am very aware that
not everyone has this beautiful family situation and ALL families go through
stressful times.But in God’s Word,
there is much said about being a part of community because community can be
very much like family.In the book of
Acts we see the early church forming.Acts 2: 42-47 gives us a picture of what it is to have close
family/community ties.God made
provision for ALL of us to experience the blessing of family/community through
Christ and His church.

We LOVE our church
family!We celebrate important dates
with them… we often babysit for some of our families… we serve and are served…
we grieve over losses and celebrate at weddings.We gather together in small groups to study
and share and discuss.

I LOVE being a
grandmother and am grateful for the little ones God has put in my life.But when I can’t be with them, I still have
family around me.God has provided ….and
He will provide for you.If you have not
yet found that community of faith, pray about it.God will guide you!If you live in my area, please consider
joining me and my family at Grace
Church in Gladstone, MI.(www.gracemichigan.com) Know for certain that it is God’s desire for you to be a part of His
family.And maybe, if you desire, you
will have opportunities to enjoy “snuggles, slobbers and sticky fingers” as you
align yourself with God’s family.